Power Control Unit
Toyota's hybrid technology is equipped with a Power Control Unit that consists of an inverter, a Voltage-Boosting Converter and an AC/DC converter to run the car on electric motors.
Inverter
The inverter converts DC supplied by the battery to AC to turn the electric motors and to use in the generator. Conversely, it converts AC generated by the electric motors and the generator into DC to recharge the battery. Direct cooling of switching device is featured in the new (2009) Prius, improving cooling efficiency and enabling inverter downsizing and weight reduction.